Chokehold
by Ivy Raven
Summary: "My name's Harry Potter, and I'd be willing to teach you anything you want to know." Cloud deliberated. But there wasn't really anything to think about, so he nodded and for the first time thought of his dream as something achievable, within his grasp. SLASH


**Fandom:** Final Fantasy VII x Harry Potter crossover

**Summary: "**My name's Harry Potter, and I'd be willing to teach you anything you want to know." Cloud deliberated. But there wasn't really anything to think about, so he nodded and for the first time thought of his dream as something achievable, within his grasp.

**Warnings: **underage sex, slut!Harry, slut!Cloud, Slash, Het, blood, gore, drugs, alcohol, violence, politics, bestiality

**Pairings:** Harry Potter x Cloud Strife, Harry Potter x everyone, Cloud Strife x everyone

Prologue

The winds screeched and snow blanketed everything in sight, muffling sounds of the little village deep in the Nibel mountain range. The denizens of the village, Nibelheim, were well used to the wet cold climate of their hometown and it did nothing to hinder their everyday lives. The shops were still open, the old man from house No. 3 still played his little harmonica by the well on the town square and Cloud Strife could still be seen running from a group of older boys at the edge of town.

What differed this day to any other outside the very short tourist season was the sight of a man approaching the village from the only trail leading to Nibelheim. He was tall, though one couldn't tell much else because of his heavy, fur-lined coat and long, shaggy hair obscuring his face. His steps were slow and measured, confidant. His back was straight and his hands buried in deep pockets.

The sound of his calm pace, unhurried and almost rhythmic, stopped the party of children a dozen feet from the tree line. They saw him then, an adult of whose reaction to Cloud-chasing they were unsure of, and decided there will be other opportunities. Walking away, the biggest boy threw the blonde one last smirk before heading home. They were getting hungry, anyway.

Cloud watched the nearing figure, standing in the middle of the path, shivering slightly. He didn't fear the stranger because, in his experience, they generally didn't bother the locals when they happened to have the misfortune to stop in that backwater blip on the radar he called his hometown. He wasn't afraid but that didn't mean he'd intentionally antagonize the man, so he moved out of the way and didn't try to meet his eyes. People tended to take that as a challenge and 'teach him his place' on the food chain. Funny, how they all assumed it was the bottom.

When the man was passing him by he stopped and Cloud could feel his eyes on him. Taking the man's silence as an invitation, the blonde lifted his eyes to meet the stranger's. All was still for a while and Cloud felt like he was being judged, measured, weighted, as the brilliant green gaze swept over him form. He didn't fidget at the sensation, used as he was to similar situations every time he left the house. Though, usually, he was found wanting. The green-eyed figure didn't seem to share the opinion of the town's population, however, if the smallest of smiles on his face was any indication.

And when he inclined his head in the universal gesture to follow him, Cloud didn't hesitate. He was lead to the town's only inn and they were then shown to the best room, the inn keeper shooting Cloud pointed glares the whole way. Cloud ignored him and when both he and the stranger were in the room slammed the door in the owner's face. He again felt eyes on his back and a tingle ran down his spine. Turning around proved that the green orbs were roving over his body, head to toe. The stranger smiled when he finally met those blue eyes again and tilted his head in the direction of the two worn armchairs in front of a cold fireplace. Taking the hint, Cloud wondered what compelled him to follow the man who was now shrugging his coat off his shoulders. He still didn't feel fear but curiosity was starting to take hold of his mind. As he sat in the indicated seat the man moved to light the fire, throwing a lit match on a pile of old newspapers. It caught instantly, lighting the room with a comforting glow. Cloud relaxed a bit more. He didn't notice the man had come to sit in the other chair until he spoke. His voice was deep and husky, most likely from the cold air outside.

"What's your name?" he questioned, leaning back and resting his hands in his lap. Cloud was quiet for a moment, but didn't see anything wrong in telling him his name. Anyone in Nibelheim could, and would, have told him anyway, so why bother hiding it?

"Cloud Strife." He didn't inquire about the man's own name, instead looking at his face. Though Cloud was only eleven he knew the man to be very handsome, with a strong jaw and a straight nose. His lips were full and his hair was jet black, reaching a bit bellow the shoulders. When he opened his mouth this time, satisfaction was sparkling in the emerald eyes.

"Well, Could, looks like it's your lucky day." His accent was strange, drawling, cultured. It had a soothing quality to it that completely contradicted the scent of danger surrounding him. "My name's Harry Potter. I suppose you could call me a jack of all trades and I'd be willing to teach you anything you want to know. I'd be at your disposal for the foreseeable future, instructing you in anything from cooking and shooting to piloting an aircraft. It's absolutely free and you're not obliged to accept."

Processing this information, Cloud thought back to the poster of General Sephiroth on the wall of his bedroom, and his dire wish to one day join SOLDIER. A head start wouldn't hurt at all. But he'd learned early on in life that nothing is free. Besides, he couldn't think of a reason someone would be offering something like that to anyone, least of all him.

"Why?" On the off chance that this was real he didn't want to laugh in the man's, Harry's, face or accuse him of lying. 'Why?' was something anyone in his position would have asked, so it seemed like a good place to start. And, he had to admit, he was really curious. The answer he received wasn't what he was expecting, but, somehow, it rang true.

"I'm bored and I have a feeling things will become very interesting around you, very soon. But you'll need a bit of help to get there and," he flashed the blonde a predatory smile "I have all the time in the world."

The boy stared at him for several heartbeats, the fire casting dancing shadows over the green eyes, and deliberated. But there wasn't really anything to think about, so he nodded his head and looked at Harry through lowered lashes.

"Can you teach me to fight with swords? And use materia?" His voice was hopeful and when Harry grinned at him with entirely too many teeth, Cloud let the corners of his lips curl upwards.

That night, as he laid in his bed at home, the blonde closed his eyes and for the first time thought of his dream, of actually becoming one of the Shin-Ra elite, as something achievable, within his grasp. He fell asleep to the remembered flash of green eyes and the sound of thunder in the distance.

A storm was coming.


End file.
